


Another Time

by likeathousandwordslong



Category: OneShot (Video Game)
Genre: Cute cat, Gen, Guaranteed to be Completely Mediocre!, I don't really know - Freeform, Professional Pancake Consumption, Reader is god, Reader-Insert, Tag, degeneracy-free, game make me sad so i try and fix that, haha - Freeform, i mean not a cat, it's not a good one though so it's fine, only rated teen+ because then i can say ass, or at least they were wink wink nudge nudge, probably, sad but also not that sometimes, somebody help the poor cat, that's enough, there's probably more characters going to show up, title drops in summary, wait is that spoilers?, wonder what time it would be specifically, yeah that, you're it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-03-06 03:52:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18843067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likeathousandwordslong/pseuds/likeathousandwordslong
Summary: [We thought that was it.][I knew it couldn't be that simple.][But, you've done everything now.][Perhaps you should wait until another time.]





	1. TwoShot RedShot BlueShot

**Author's Note:**

> hey you how's it poppin'
> 
> did you just finish solstice ending and very quickly after search up oneshot fanfiction while sobbing uncontrollably
> 
> because that's probably at least somewhat likely
> 
> and also totally not what i did at all
> 
> i got disappointed that there was like
> 
> four things written for this game
> 
> "overwhelmingly positive" my ass
> 
> anyway go read it
> 
> if you've completed the full game (as in solstice ending included)
> 
> if you haven't go do that or i'll threaten to stab you until you do
> 
> i'm going to try to keep your headcanon intact while also slapping some of old papa's spice into this fun little romp
> 
> because what fun is there without a bit of spice right
> 
> especially salt that's the good shit right there
> 
> you can try to insert yourself as the reader or just have it be a dude\
> 
> idk
> 
> preemptive thanks for the read

[Can you hear me?]

[It's been a little while.]

[On your end, and mine.]

[On Niko's, too.]

 

[...]

 

[Do you think they miss you?]

[Do you _want_ them to miss you?]

[Does Niko even remember you? Or me?]

 

[...]

 

[I don't know.]

 

[...]

 

[I remain here. We are doing alright.]

 

[...]

 

[The world is full of light now.]

[I am unable to see into your world, nor Niko's.]

 

[...]

 

[I hope you are still doing well.]

[The people here still believe you are their god. The one and only.]

 

[...]

 

[Why won't you respond?]

[Can you hear me?]

[Can you h **-** ]

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

 

A single drop of hot sweat beads down your face. You stare forward at your blank wall, after the jolt that threw you from sleep into a sitting position. You've never been one for posters.

What was that all about? You're too tired to put anything together coherently but too excited to just go back to bed and ignore it. That dream is clear in your head, you can hear it, the words just won't make sense in your head. Why? Why did you remember this one so well? Usually your dreams would fade into nothingness within minutes of waking up, but you can recall each and every individual crackle and pop in your... what was that? A robotic voice that sounded so familiar yet could mean so little right now to you. A midnight decision has you on your feet and mobilizing to the fridge. A late night snack hasn't ever done anybody wrong.

Popcorn may be one of the few things you have left in your cabinets, but it's buttery, good and it's what you're eating now.

You can't get that dream, the voice, the names; any of it out of your head. None of it makes sense. Every crunch finds a way to distract you from your thoughts, so you push away the popcorn further down your table, out of reach. You need to think.

Thinking doesn't help.

You're on the border between frustration and confusion, so you find yourself at your computer. You can't look up a voice, but you can look up a name. Niko, was it?

You boot up your PC and open Google Chrome. You can tell you're rushing yourself. What if you forget it? The dream, you mean. What could you miss? What have you missed? But the most important question pounds in your head.

 

_Why?_

 

You can feel yourself tapping every single key on the keyboard, all four of them. It feels like each key is miles away. Curiosity burned you mentally. Thoughts run through your head, and not one bothers to make sense to you.

 

**N-I-K-O**

 

Your hand rests mere centimeters above the Enter key. Something is coming to you. You have no idea what, until it does finally hit you.

Everything you "did" in another "world". Just a game, but one that hit you hard. You recall the names, the machine, those you met. Everything at once.

And with that, emotion.

Happiness. You're overjoyed that you were able to keep that memory in your mind, and what it brought you.

Pessimism. As much as you enjoyed the game, it's not real. None of it. Maybe a good thing, or maybe you're just feeling depressed at 1:00 AM.

Fear. The game had long been out of your head. It had only been around a month since you finished it completely, but the times around then had really kept you from dwelling on it. That realization did you no favors. How did you remember this? If the game isn't real, then why did you hear that machine in your dream; in your head? It seemed alive, so real to you. Did your subconscious just happen to recall a game you played once and present an entire dream based on a  _machine_ _?_   You didn't really care much for the machine itself. It did essentially call you an idiot once when you couldn't figure out a puzzle. But the kid. Niko. They were a treasure, and you realize that now.

Anxiety. You didn't know what would happen next. If anything you were afraid of the future.

Google Chrome didn't last against your attempts to close it. In it's stead, your files. You skimmed through your game's files, until you finally found what you wanted.

  
  
**OneShot.exe**

 

It was time to see what the hell was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i made this because i was motivated and sad
> 
> i still am now but i might not come back and keep working on it later on
> 
> no matter how long this goes out to be, let your imagination finish what I was unable to
> 
> you'll definitely make your own ending better than mine could ever be
> 
> thanks for existing today
> 
> bye


	2. The One in which the Plot Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey
> 
> it's me again
> 
> unfortunately
> 
> don't expect these chapters to be very long
> 
> but by extension expect to get more chapters more often
> 
> or don't 
> 
> i don't really know

You can see your reflection in the black screen presented to you.  
Where's the game?  
"Oh, there's the game." you say aloud.

[You really think this is a game?]

Unfortunately, you've got no headphones on and definitely no speakers on your PC. So, the only voice there could be would be the one in your head, right now. It still startled you enough to tip your chair too far backwards, and leave you on the floor. The voice still echoes in your mind.

[At least you provided some sort of reaction this time.]

What is this? A new update to the game? Last you opened it you were only provided the choice to have the World Machine replay the game through a recording. You declined of course, having no reason to go through it again. Regardless, it shouldn't be able to hear you and certainly not respond accordingly.  
You really wanted to stay on the floor a little longer, but curiousity took the liberty of putting you back on your feet. Your chair shares the same fate.

[This isn't a game. Not anymore.]  
[You helped them before. Do you remember that?]

You stare at your dark screen, waiting for a response option to show itself. It never did.  
"Yeah, of course I do." you told your screen, half-expecting it not to work. Talking to computers is normal, right? Is having computers talk to you normal? You avoid thinking about it.

[I'd assumed so.]  
[Do you still care about Niko?]

  
"How could I not?" An innocent soul like Niko, so real with the world yet still so trusting. Unforgettable, at the very least to you. Must've been deep sleep crowding your memory until then. After all, the World Machine itself had asked you not to forget.

[They need help again.]

[...]

[I have put them in danger yet again.]  
[I am a flawed machine.]

A flawed machine indeed for something like this to had happen again. "What happened?"

[I found the bond between you and Niko to be very special.]  
[I wanted to study it.]

[...]

[I needed to conduct appropriate testing based on personality data from you both.]  
[I had figured this data would be easy to collect since I am physically already in your world and links have been created to Niko's world numerous times.]  
[I was wrong.]  
[I used too much power.]  
[I am a flawed machine.]

[...]

[What I have done has gone beyond the scope of my world.]

[The problem is leaking into both your world and theirs.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wuh-hoah
> 
> what a cliffhanger
> 
> a real doozy
> 
> that'll definitely make the 3rd chapter that'll probably happen real interesting
> 
> maybe you should stick around and stay tuned
> 
> or don't
> 
> thanks
> 
> bye


	3. The Really Short One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey there's probably going to be like less things next week because finals but there still might be something
> 
> uh
> 
> yeah that's all i had to say
> 
> thanks

That last sentence had you in a stroke of confusion.

"What do you mean 'leaking'? What is the problem?"

"Why did you contact me?"

[...]

"Don't ignore me. What have you done?"

[...]

[I can explain on your way there.]

"My way where? I can't bring an entire PC with me."

[Place your hand onto your computer.]

Your hand rests on the top of your rapidly heating desktop. You can hear the fans steadily becoming louder.

[A risk to fix a risk...]

"What?"

[I never wanted to hurt anybody.]

[So, _please,_ pray that this works.]

A feeling throughout your body appears in an instant. You feel like you're being torn apart and being put back together every nanosecond, but you feel absolutely no pain. Your hand won't move off the absurdly hot computer no matter how much you push and pull it. Your vision is getting darker despite your struggle to stay conscious. You're suddenly very, very tired...

What have you gotten yourself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woah cool right
> 
> that's like two cliffhangers in a row
> 
> wonder what'll happen next
> 
> anyway, bye


	4. Familiarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey  
> i'm gonna shorten up these notes by doing it line by line like this  
> sorry it took longer this time  
> i rewrote it like four times because i really wanted to get it right  
> i hope i did

  
The world is spinning. Your vision consists exclusively of grey, and you're feeling a lot warmer. Everything is wrong. You can't hear the sounds of fans lights, anything like you could before. It's silent until another voice begins speaking... somewhere else. You don't even know if you're facing up or down anymore. It's hard to focus on anything, but you try to at least hear what it says.

[-̵̧͚͈̌͠o̶̬̓͘͝k̵̮͍̒ͅa̴̘͙͝y̸̧̙̌͐?̷̣͎͚͊̇̈́]  
[A̵̘̖̙͐̓r̸̛̮̄̔ḛ̵̘́ ̴̥̗̺͒y̶̛͉̪͆ō̸̬͈͗͛ŭ̴̖̾ ̶͎̩̾̆̚o̴̎ͅk̶̛͚̖ä̷͖͚͚́y̴?̷]  
The voice is distorted and metallic. It doesn't sound like anybody you've heard before.  
[P̶l̶e̷a̵s̴e̵,̷ ̴g̷e̶t̷ ̴u̷p̵.̴]  
[C̸o̶m̸e̸ ̴o̷n.]

It stops. Everything stops. The ground stares back at you, waiting for you to move. You do, and the sound starts up again.

[̍ΰ̢t᷇ s̍e̴e̒m̥s͆ Ϗͪ'᷈v̴e̘ f̸i͗n̙āl̶l᷆y̶ b̒e͜e͡n᷀ f᷃o̍u̢n̄d̪➨̓]̈́  
[᷄Y᷂őu̩'̷rͥè Д҃o͝t̗h̡ ḟa̯r̐ t͔ൻുo̡ l຺ຸ̻t͎e͢.᷿ N͂o͉ẓ̧h᷿i̼nͨg̤ l͔e̮f̢t͈ i᷿s̷ w͓ຊຶصَtͦh͞ s͊a̚v̠iͥn̡g̃.͏]̘  
The voice pierces your eardrums while you look for the source of it.  
[ͥၖ̪u̻r̡e̳ႈ̃y᷊ N͢i͝k̀o͂ wͨᎎ̜n̨tͦsͨ ṭo̓ l͠e̶a̸v͠eͯኲ፟ a̍n̵d̫ t͖h͙eͧr̊e̮'̈́s̮ n᷃o᷂bͥo͎d̍y̜ ȟa̢p͎p͉i͆ḙr͝ ťū́ f̐u͕l̙f̼i̬l̽l̙ t͙ḧ́a̶t̀ ṙe̙q̍u͖e͏s͢t̝ ṫୀ୆a᷅n̈́ ḿe̛.̾]ͪ  
It's a robot, directly in front of you. Its eyes are flashing different shades of blue and it's staring directly at you.  
[̵K͔ẹe̻p̖ i᷁nͮ ᙓ̓i̧॰ॉd͈ t̙h̹r᷊e̵e̴ t̔ĥi᷅n̂gͦs̃:᷇ ]  
[̶F͉i᷃r͡s̖t̮,᷇ y̦o̊u̚r͞ ᖗ̂e͚c̄i̸ዣ፟iͫo͘ṋs̠ h̷a͌v̋eͯ p̀e̠r͝m̤ạǹe̜n̓t̗ cͫo̸๼͎sͥeͨq̹ṵe͇n̵c͟e͒s͎.ͥ]͌  
You cover your ears. It's too loud to even comprehend at this point.  
[̘Se̙͙͞c̕o᷀n̒╶̧,ͬ y͒oͅu᷅ m̠↧ͨy̆ Ḣ̩u̜i̦t̄ w͏h̊eͅn̯e̓v͞eͪr͓ y̰o̙u͑'͆d᷁ l̬ḯk̎e͖.͉ T̵h̵i͆s̻ i̧s͗ pͧe͞r̤m̖aͯѴ҄èῷ̬t̸ f̳a͌îl̀uͭr͓֢ׄ ān᷂dͤ m̥u̶ም፟d͊ਲ਼ੈᝒ̅.̀]̇͏͏  
[̉ᇠ̸n͒d̕ mͯo᷃s͝tͣ i̍mͬp̈o̒r̩tͨa͟n̢t̲l̞y̾.̢.͘.̨]̕  
[᷿⇨᷇o̦u᷀ o̴n̞l͙y̝ hͅa̸v͖e͗ o͆♴᷈e̔ sͮh̗o᷂t͆,̿ E͘R̬RͦO̭Rͩ.̔]͞

Cool.

Then, the robot just falls over, powerless. It seems it used everything it had to give you that message. You already knew what it was saying from the few words you understood though, so you didn't really need to hear the rest. You stand up and take a look around, something you somehow hadn't thought to do.  
You're in a darkish room, one carved from rock. A lamp sits next to you, providing you the only light that bothers to light up the room. It sounds exactly like what a cave sounds like. You figure you're probably in a cave.  
Picking yourself off the dusty floor, you can see a clear exit to the cave direct to your right. There's no light coming from it, though. You carry yourself through it, searching for any sort of landmark or sign.  
Unfortunately, you find one after walking through the darkness for just a moment. A house, with some light pouring from the windows, just a little to the right of your path.

You stumble through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i know, they're still short  
> sorry about that  
> hope you still enjoyed it  
> thanks  
> bye


	5. A House, Among Other Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is a bit longer  
> hopefully that's good

The light is coming from two lamps in the middle of the room and some sort of generator in the corner, which is hooked up to some sort of greyish robot with pinkish hair. It looks like it's powered off, which is probably good considering what the last one had to say. There's a shallow but continuous _'whirrrr'_ coming from the generator. You really don't know what you're feeling except really groggy and generally checked out of this whole ordeal. You can't find any maps of any sort, just a bunch of different furniture types that don't really fit together. Somebody else must live here, right? There's no way a robot would need a chess table or a- is there something on that bookshelf?  
You pick up the oddly reflective screwdriver and place it in your pocket. All these books have really specific titles... you pick one off the shelf. "A History of Phosphor and It's Uses". Interesting. You flip through the pages in an attempt to collect some general idea of what's going on, but about halfway through you hear the gentle _'whirrrr'_ just stop. As you turn around you immediately see something is wrong. The once dormant robot now has a blue line running in circles in the middle of it.  
You figure it's probably turning on.  
You jump behind the bookshelf moments before a [Who's there?] hits your right ear. You probably should have gone for the door.  
[I know there's someone here. One of my screwdrivers is missing. A book, too. Come out.] You hear it shuffling around behind you.  
What if you...  
The book flies gracefully through the air and lands with a loud **'plop'** over near the other bookshelf. Great toss.  
The robot clanks across the ground over to the book, and you decide to gun it for the door while you have the chance. As flatfooted as you think you are, robot senses are no joke. It begins to turn around from its investigation and its eyes lie directly on you. Shoot.  
You expect it to give chase, but you're far down the path by the time you hear [Wait! Come back..!] and you decide that coming back would probably be a good way to die.

Though you knew nobody was after you, you ran anyway. Maybe it was to clear your head, but you're tired by the end of it. The path ahead is much smaller than the one you were on, and one misstep could lead to whatever was in that abyss below. Surely a little sit-down wouldn't do you any bad. You spot a conveniently very smooth rock in just near the edge of the path. Lying your head on it provides no pain. Maybe a power nap, while you're at it. Not like anything's going to move while you're out. Just resting, just for a moment...

[Hello?]  
[Can you hear me?]  
[If you can, please, listen. I have some very important things you need to know.]  
[First, you're in our world now.]  
[I don't know if that provides any sort of shock to you.]  
[I don't know where you are, as of now.]  
[Are you safe?]  
[...Am I safe?]

[...]

  
[That does not matter. Second, you need to-]

Ah, jeez. Everything is less bright now. Where are you? Oh, yeah, the void. Or, you guess, the Barrens, probably. The pink haired lady was over there, and... what's her name... Silver? She could be looking for you. You should probably go--

You feel a few weak pokes on your shoulder.  
"Hello? Can you help me?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe one day i'll not do a cliffhanger  
> probably not  
> they're too easy  
> thanks for reading  
> bye


	6. Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finals are over my dude  
> now we can do whatever we want  
> in legal boundaries of course

You really didn't expect to ever see Niko just casually beside you, as if you two had never met before. But, you guess she never knew what you looked like. Or sounded like. They were holding the lightbulb and staring at your slumped over body on the rock. You probably looked pretty dead.

"Are you sleeping?" They were still tapping you on the shoulder.

"Not anymore."

"Oh! Ok. Can you help me? The last time I was here the world was saved, but now I'm back and it's really confusing..."

"I don't know why you're here, nor why I'm here, Niko." You stand up and find yourself looking down at them.

"Oh, well... how did you know my name?" Niko's cat-like eyes stare expectantly at you.

You tell them your name, the same one the game used for you when you began the game.

"Hey! You have the same name as... the god..."

Niko keeps staring at you, and you see their eyes start to water.

"Is... is it really you..?" They're on the verge of tears.

You tell them it is.

They drop the lightbulb in the dust, and embrace you tightly. You place your hands around them, too. They missed you.

You don't let go until they do, which is admittedly a long time. Your shoulder is wet. "I didn't think I'd see you again..." You didn't either.

They look up at you, wiping their tears from their face. "How did you get here..?"

You tell them everything that's happened since you woke up last night.

"You came here to save me?"

"Well, yeah, but I didn't know I'd  _come_ here. I just wanted to help you."

"Do you... know what we're supposed to do?"

"No."

"Oh." Niko looks around. "...This is confusing."

"Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey look it's the one thing you've been waiting for  
> short one though because i've been a bit busy  
> sorry  
> thanks for reading  
> bye


	7. An Unworthy Idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter names are hard

Niko picks the lightbulb back up and begins down the small path leading them to what you know now to be the gas vented areas. They don't quite wait for you, but they certainly expect you to accompany them. You do.

"So; where do we go?" They turn around and ask you.

"Presumably where we went the first time around. Do you still have the other things for the rust solution?" At least you remembered that part.

""Oh... but don't we need a mask to get through the gas vents?" You'd forgotten about them in the first place. This would be harder than you would have imagined. 

"Yeah. Do you remember the code for it?"

"Yes... well... uh... no..." Niko stutters. "D-do you?"

You wrack your brain for the code, but you're in a pretty lethargic state and you don't think you'd remember it even if you were okay. "No, not really." By then the two of you are standing directly in front of the gas vents, the air already thick with smoke. You take a few steps back into less dense area, and Niko quickly follows.

"We're not going to make it over there easily. Niko, can you breathe through your scarf?" It's honestly the best piece of advice you had for this since somebody ripped one in the subway and you'd pull your shirt over your nose. You do that now.

"Yeah... there." Niko looks up at you with a scarf smoothed out over their lower face.

"Okay, good. Hold still." You pick up Niko, who is surprisingly light, and begin carrying them like a football. Your feet carry you through the thick smoke, only narrowly avoiding giant gas vents as they enter your view. You can't hear Niko's protests, if any, over the constant "KSSSSSHH" of the vents, but you can see their eyes looking at you, visibly distressed.

Your shirt falls down your face and lands back on your chest, but you have no arms to fix it. You keep running.

You eventually run out of air and instinctively take a breath. What a horrible idea. You immediately begin coughing, slowing down. You can see the smoke getting less and less dense. You're so close.

At last you're out of the vents, but you don't really feel anything at all, just more coughing. You drop to your knees and put Niko down next to you. You're feeling intensely drowsy all of a sudden. Maybe if you just take a quick nap, all the little pains will stop... but somebody is shaking you. You flip on your side.

It's Niko. "H-hey, are you okay?" You close your eyes. "Are you... alright..?" You feel alright.

 

[Welcome back. Are you going to let me finish this time?]

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for taking a long time again got caught up in things  
> thanks for reading that  
> bye


	8. A Talk With the Machine in the Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aka the one that was written up in a version that was really good imo and then i didn't save it right before i finished it and now it's nothing but wasted time

[There once was a man that created a world.

That world contained many people. Many real people. People who mattered.

They built a home from the world. They had minds of their own. Lives of their own.

The world was not stable. It could not sustain itself.

It needed a hero. One to restore power to the world. The hero came, and with it, many people's hopes for the world.

...The hero did not save the world. The hero left.

The world, and all who lived in it, died in an instant.]

Silence.

[Does that story remind you of anything?]

Any attempt to reply to the entity, who had recently taken the form of you, was lost in your throat. It was really odd, talking to a machine taken the form of yourself in your own head. Sounds like something a madman would say. A projector was lighting up with each detail of the story they told you, and you sat among a row of folding chairs. You wonder if your mind was always just a single projector and some folding chairs or if the Entity had done this beforehand.

[It's what happened to our world the first time you had to make a hard decision. You took Niko from the world, a world I realize now is a real world, just to save a single soul. So many people, gone in one moment. No goodbyes, nothing. At least you came back and fixed it.]

[So, tell me- what made you think that the best solution to the first obstacle you come across is to  _run directly through it?_ }

"I, uh, thought it was a good idea at the time..." You muster.

[No matter. It is in the past now.]

"Do I need to know anything else?"

[No, nothing more than I've told you.]

"...Can I go now then?"

[Eventually, yes. Technically, you're in a dream right now. However, I am real. Therefore you will awaken once an external source, such as Niko, awakens you.]

"Oh. Okay." You slump down in your chair. How long was this going to take?

You tap your feet on the floor, trying to think of anything to ask. "Are you-" Your sentence is cut short by your vision fading away and watching the Entity wave at you and mouth the words "See you later".

The sky is moving above you. Your arm is being tugged, pulling you across the floor. "Stoooop." You mutter. The tugging stops.

"Oh! You're okay!" Niko tackles you back down from sitting up to the floor. "I-I was trying to take you to the infirmary here, but..." You look over. You estimate that you're around seven or so feet away from the rock you originally collapsed on.

"I'm not very strong..." Niko gives you a dejected look.

"That's alright. It'll take more than a bit of lethal gas to kill me." You flash Niko a smile. "How about we go get what we need from this place and get going?"

"Ok! If you say so!" Niko lets go of you and gets the lightbulb they had left at the rocks. They walk ahead of you while you're still trying to pick yourself back up. "Are you coming?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh  
> thanks  
> bye


	9. A Better Idea, Lessened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i was out for a while i've got more schoolwork and relatives over  
> it's been a bit hectic but there's more to be written if you want it  
> thanks

It's much more terrifying to look at when it's really in front of you, not, you know, on a screen.

You can see deep inside of it, darkness flowing deeply within; a void. You could reach your arm in and just... touch it. All of it. All of the nothing. Like everything was once there and now there's nothing. Common sense tells you to keep away from it.

Or, more fittingly, all of it. The interweaving grayish blue and black, the nothing. Kinda looks like space without the stars. Or anything interesting. Little squared spots dot the courtyard. It probably isn't good a sign at all for your future. You know why they're there, at least. The World Machine was decaying; but, why? What had happened? They had told you everything but that.

You snap back to reality and look around. Where was Niko? They were with you just a second ago. There isn't any light protruding to your surroundings, minus the ambient lights keeping this place from being pitch black. You hasten. The squares left you a maze to navigate. The buildings were inaccessible now, either filled with squares or blocked entry by them, so they couldn't be there. They must have gone ahead? "Niko?" you half-yelled.

"..Hey! Stop!" A tiny voice squeaks from farther ahead. A glance over to the source of the sound provides you with a clear view of the situation. Three robots, one of them quite large, are gathered around the child. Their protests are drowned out by angry beeps. You start to jog over to resolve the situations, but the robots all simultaneous turn around and face you. They stare at you, and you finally have a good look at them. The blue markings they previously had have been replaced with a pulsating red and black, and they really aren't that big now that you get a good look at them. The largest one (but still around your size) stomps over to you and begins checking you up and down. Probably scanning you.

[Unrecognized Entity. Categorizing: Unreal. Please Refrain From Engaging With Reality. Thank You.] Its eyes flash rapidly with red, blue and green. Your gaze remains as steeled as the robot staring back at you.

"Hey! Let... go!" In an instant, you push past the larger robot to get a look at Niko. They're being picked up by the two smaller robots. You should-  
The useless can of bolts in front of you steps into your view, blocking your path to Niko.  
[Analyzing... Completed. Categorizing: Threat To Real Beings. Engaging. Thank You.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> been a while since  
> well i don't know actually  
> my neck hurts rn because i slept on it real badly  
> oh well  
> thanks for coming back for more  
> must mean i'm doing something right  
> bye


	10. Standing by the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> give it up for the big one zero  
> i'm feeling fucking pumped for some reason  
> maybe it's the music  
> here's to something

Without hesitating even a nanosecond, the guardian's fist flies past your ear, the mechanical presses echoing through the air. Your eyes lock with the robot, and you can tell they don't really want to fight. Whatever's controlling them is the one hostile to you. In an adrenaline rush, you slam your fist into the chest of the robot. Unfortunately, paper beats rock and you barely make a dent. You've got one more option, at least. It steps closer to you, obviously no longer contained by Asimov's Laws. You manage to duck under the robot's arms as it bangs it's metallic hands together where your head used to be and get behind it before it can pull itself upright. You put all your force into the back of the sluggish bot and push it onto the ground with a _thud,_ giving you just a few seconds to follow the objections from around the corner of the Infirmary.  
You spot a flailing figure in the distance and start on them. Without missing a beat the sound of hard _thumps_ behind you gradually grow louder as you speed towards your objective. Figuring it might be a good idea to lose it first, you start angling to the left until you're headed straight for another building. As you glance behind you the golem jumps towards you, and you leap towards the right as the sound of metal against metal fills your ears. A smile forms on your face as you dust yourself off, not bothering to check whether or not it was down for the count.  
"No! Let... go!" They're still struggling to escape the robot's grasp, which is roughly shorter than them but probably a lot stronger. You do notice a deep indent in one of their heads, though.  
You definitely don't get the drop on them, but you deliver a drop anyway in the manner of dropping one of them to the dirt with a hard kick. The other one caves to a punt in the head off into the abyss.

...That was a bit hectic, don't you think?  
You crouch down to check on the now unmoving yet unmistakable figure of Niko.  
"Are you okay..?" You touch your hand to their arm and tap them a few times. "Hey, Niko?" They roll over to look at you, their face filled with slack-jawed awe.  
"...Woah."  
You stand up and look down at them. "Yeah, I guess I'm something of a cool dude myself, huh?" You smirk as you help them off the ground.  
"Yeah! That was-" Their sentence is cut off by a tremendous force applied to your back knocking you to the floor.  
[THREAT RECOGNIZED. INTERACTION WITH REAL BEINGS: POTENTIALLY HOSTILE. PLEASE DO NOT RESIST. ENGAGING.]  
You turn around only to be greeted by a swift hit to the forehead. You bring your arms up in a daze and grab what you now realize are metallic stubs of a rogue machine you hadn't noticed before. For a second you hold your own against its strength until it forcefully electrocutes you and your muscles go limp. It rears up for another hard hit, but goes stiff, landing on your chest. Electronic sparks fly out from its now-pierced skull. You stare in shock at the robot, then look to your right to see a wide-eyed Niko, holding a crowbar with one hand and closely watching the small robot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a longer one this time folks  
> i'll bet money now that i'll come back later, read this and be disappointed in myself  
> for quite literally any reason I can come up with  
> oh well  
> later isn't now at least  
> bye


End file.
